Lewis botd white



(No Model.)

L. B. WHITE.

. AUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNAL FOR RAILWAYS. No. 330,180. Patented Nov. 10,1885..

5 1 ,S\ I I \I 6 Illlllllllil R M Q g. 4

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES LEWIS BOYD WHITE, on NEW YORK,

I PATENT Orrrca.

N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TRADES AGENCY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,180, dated November10, 1885.

Application filed May 27, 1884. Serial No. 132,918. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEwIs BOYD WHITE, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic 5 Block-Signal forRailways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved block-signalwhich is set automatically by a passing train or locomotive and remainsset for a given time, and then swings back into its normal position.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, aswill be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which the same letters of reference indicate thesame or corresponding parts in all the figures. v v

Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation of my improved block-signal onthe line at, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is across-sectional elevation of the pivoted cylinder. Fig. 4 is an enlargeddetail view of the 2 5 valve in the same.

Two standards, A A, are secured at the side of the track on a sleeper,A, and are braced and stiffened by means of suitable braces, and thesaid standards, which are preferably widened at their upper ends, areunited by a covering, B, which, with the standards, forms a casing forthe apparatus. In the said standards a shaft, G, is journaled, on whichis mounted a disk, D, which is connected by a connecting-rod, D, with 'acrank, E, formed on the inner end of ahorizontal shaft, E, journaledinthe bearing-block F within the easing and in the rail, and provided atthe end journaled in the rail with a crank-arm, F, which is parallelwith the crank E, on the free end of which arm F a roller,f, isjournaled, which is so located that it can be struck by the wheel of thepassing locomotive. The connecting-rod D is provided in its lower endwith a longitudinal slot, at, through which a bolt or pin, 6, in thefree end of the crank-arm E passes. On the surface of the disk D a bevelcog-wheel, G, is formed, which has part of its teeth broken out to forma recess, G, the

section 12.

length of which is equal to about one-quarter of the circumference ofthe wheel.

The mutilated cog-wheel G is adapted to engage with a smaller bevelcog-wheel, H, mounted on the lower end of avertical shaft,

I, journaled in a cross-piece, I, uniting the upper ends of thestandards, andin a bearing,

1 formed on a bracket, H, projecting from the inner surface of one ofthe standards. On the upper end of the vertical shaft I a sheetmetalfigure, flag, or like device, J, is secured 6 in such a manner that itwill turn with the said shaft. On the shaft 0 a hub, K, is looselymounted, from which an arm, L, projects, on the outer end of which aweight, L, is secured adjustably by a set-screw, L". The hub K is 6 5provided with a quadrant-slot, M, through which a pin or screw, M,passes into the shaft, thus permitting the hub to have theplay of aquarter-circle before acting on the shaftthat is, if the revolution ofthe shaft is reversed, it will make a quarter-revolution before actingon the hub K.

A cylinder, N, is loosely mounted centrally on the shaft 0 between thedisk D and one of the standards, which cylinder or cylindrical 7 5casing N is formed of a central piece, n, on which two end pieces, a a,are screwed, and on the outer ends of which pieces a n caps m andmtrespectively are screwed. The central tubular piece, a, is providedwith a cross-piece or partition, 0, having a large opening, 0, and asmall opening, 0 The large opening 0 can be closed by'a swinging gate,1?, adapted to swing into the tube-section a which has a larger diameterthan the A weight, It, is secured to the inner side of the cap m, or thecorresponding end of the section n -can be weighted in any othersuitable manner. An arm, Q, provided -with a rubber covering or buffer,Q, projects from the disk D, under the cylinder N. A

on the side toward the tube-sectional being larger than the other.

The operation is as follows: When the parts are in their normalposition, the crank-arms E and F project upward, the cylinder N rests onthe arm Q, and the weighted arm T,which is raised, rests on -the pin Sof the cylinder N. Shot W is contained in the'weighted end of thecylinderthat is, in the end in which the weight It is secured-thusholding the cylinder and the other parts in the above-describedposition. The figure, flag, or other device J is held parallel with thetracks, and the smooth or recessed part G of the beveled cog-wheel G isopposite the beveled cog-wheel H, so that the same cannot engage. If atrain passes, one of its wheels strikes the roller f of the crank F,thereby swinging the crank downward, and also swinging the crank E down,thus pulling the connecting-rod D down and causing it to turn the disk Din the direction of the arrow a, thereby causing the arm Q to lift thelower weighted end, a, of the cylinder and swing the upper end, 12,downward. The weighted arm T'descends with the cylinder until the saidarm rests on its stop or lug r. The impetus given to the cylinder swingsit around until its lower weighted end, if, has passed to the top andbeyond the vertical line, when the weighted end of the cylinder, whichis now at the top, swings down until the pin S strikes against the stopp, (see Fig. 1,) thus holding the cylinder in place. The shot W is nowon the upper surface of the partition or crosspiece Othat is, on thesurface facing the cap m of the section n and the said shot flowsthrough the aperture 0' into the now lower section, a, of the cylinder.As this aperture 0 is very small, it takes considerable time for theshot to pass through, which time may vary from four to ten minutes, moreor less, as may be desired. The shot cannot pass through the opening 0,as the same is closed by the valve or gate I. As the shot accumulates inthe lower end of the cylinder-that is, on the cap mit weights the samesuflicientlyto overcome the weight R, and thereby first swings thecylinder N into the vertical position, then the end containing theweight R'swings downward, and the shot immediately slides from thesection a through the opening 0 into the section a as the gate P isopened automatically by the reversing of the position of the cylinder.As the weighted end of the cylinder swings down, the pin S on thelighter upper end raises the weighted arm T,which acts as acounterbalance to prevent the heavy cylinder from breaking the otherparts of the machine. In this manner the cylinder is reversed inposition every time a train passes, and remains in the reverse positionuntil the shot flows fromone end of the cylinder to the other, whichtakes some time, as the opening 0 is made small for this purpose.

When the cylinder is again reversed, the shot can flow back veryrapidly, as the opening 0 is much larger. At the same time that thecylinder is revolved by the arm Q on the disk D, in the mannerdescribed, the shaft 0 is also revolved, and thereby the shaft I isturned in such a manner that the figure or flag J will be at rightangles to the track, and will thus show the danger-signal. At the sametime the weighted arm L is raised by the action of the pin M on the hubK of the said arm. As long as the figure shows the dangersignal theweighted arm L is held in the raised positionthat is, when the movementof the shaft 0 is reversed and it turns in the inverse direction ofthearrow (1 the arm Lswings down until it rests on the bracket H, and bythe action of its weight turns the shaft I, thereby bringing the figureor fiag J in a position parallel with the track. When the weighted endof the cylinder swings downward, it acts on the arm Q of the disk D, andswings the said disk in the inverse direction of the arrow a, wherebythe connecting-rod D is pulled upward, and the cranks E and F are drawninto the vertical position. During this timethe arm L rests on itsbracket motionless, and to permit the movement of the shaft during thetime that the arm L rests on its bracket I have provided the slot M inthe hub K.

By forming the cylinder N in sections the quantity of shot may bereadily changed, and the gate I? may bereached for repair, 8m.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a signal apparatus, the combination of the shaft 0, a disk, D,secured on the shaft and having a mutilated gear, G, and a pin, Q,secured to it, with a rod, D, connecting the disk with a lever adaptedto be operated from a passing train, a cylinder, N, mounted to rotate onthe shaft 0, and resting below its axis on the pin Q, the signal-shaftI, and gear H thereon, adapted to be operated by the gear G, thecylinder N, consisting of two communicating compartments and'having acounterbalancing material.

2. In a signal apparatus, the combination, with the shaft 0, the disk D,rigidly mounted thereon and having the mutilated gear-wheel G, and thepin Q, connecting-rod D, adapted to rotate the disk, and thesignal-shaft I, having gear-wheel H, operated by said gear G, of thedivided cylinder N, loosely mounted on the shaft 0 and resting below itsaxis on pin' Q, a counterbalauoing material within the cylinder, a pin,S, on the outer surface of the cylinder,the pivoted counterbalanced armT, resting on the pin S, and a stop to limit the movement of said arm,substantially as set forth.

3. In a signal, the combination, with the shaft 0, the disk D, securedthereon and having the pin Q, and segmental gear G, of the signal-shaftI, having the gear H, adapted to be rotated by the said segmental gear,the reversible divided cylinder N, having acounterbalancing materialtherein mounted loosely on the shaft 0 and resting below its center onthe pin Q, the hub K, mounted to partially rotate on the shaft 0, theweighted arm L, secured to said hub, and a stop to limitthe movement ofsaid arm L, whereby in reversing the cylinder the weighted arm L willoperate the signal-shaft through the medium of the disk, its gear, andthe gear, H, substantially as set forth.

4. In a railway blocksignal, the combination, with the cylinder N,formed of the sections n, 'n, and h and the caps m and m, of the weightR, held in one end of the cylinder, a transverse partition arranged inthe middle of the cylinder and provided with two apertures of differentsizes, asignal connected with the cylinder and adapted to be operated bythe same, and connectingrods and shafts for operating or throwing thecylinder by the action of a passing locomotive or train, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

5. In a railway block-signal, the combination, with the standard A, ofthe shaft 0, the cylinder N, mounted loosely on the shaft and containingshot or other suitable material, the disk D, rigidly mounted on theshaft, the rod D, the shaft E, provided with the cranks F and E, thebeveled cog-wheels G and H, the shaft I, the signal J on the top of theshaft I, the hub K, provided with a quadrant-slot, M, the screw M,passed through the quadrantslot into the shaft, the arm L, formed on thehub K, and the weight L, held on the outer end of the said arm,substantially as herein shown and described.

LEWIS BOYD WHITE.

Witnesses:

OSCAR F. GUNZ, O. SEnewIoK.

